Stenographic machine keyboards



Aug. 9, 1960 H. B. SMITH 2,943,380

STEJNOGRAPHIC MACHINE KEYBOARDS Filed May 19, 1958 STENOGRAPHIC MACHINE KEYBOARDS Howard B. Smith, 1439 Rhode Island Ave., Washington, D.C.

Filed May 19, 1958, Ser. No. 736,349

1 Claim. (Cl. 197-98) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in stenographic machines, that is, machines used for typing shorthand, and in particular the invention concerns itself with an improved keyboard arrangement for such machines.

The several keys of a stenographic machine keyboard are carried by key bars which are mounted on a horifinger-engaging surfaces of the keys are horizontal when the keys are in their initial position, and consequently, as the result of the arcuate movement of the supporting key bars, the upper faces or surfaces of the keys become declined or slanted in a direction away from the pivot shaft upon depression of the keys. This declination is not of much concern in the operation of keys in banks located relatively close to the pivot shaft, inasmuch as the arc of key bar movement is relatively small. However, the amount or angle of declination in banks of keys located relatively further away from the pivot shaft is considerable, and since eflicient and expeditious operation of machines of this type requires very light and sensitive touch as well as dexterity of the fingers, it follows that the operating speed and efficiency of even the most skilled operators is hampered while shifting fingers from the excessively declined upper surfaces of the depressed keys in the further banks to the horizontal, cor- Iraesponding surfaces of the undepressed keys in the closer anks.

The principal object of the invention, therefore, is to 2,948,380 Patented Aug. 9, 1960 While the present invention is applicable to keyboards of stenographic machines in general as well as to any other types of machines at large utilizing keyboards of the stenographic machine type, the invention particularly concerns itself with the keyboard for a stenographic machine of the type disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 662,966, filed May 28, 1957, now Patent No. 2,891,647, issued June 23, 1959. However, it is to be understood that the use of the present invention is not limited to the particular environment of my earlier application.

With the foregoing more important object and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

Figure l is an elevational view showing a portion of a stenographic machine keyboard in accordance with the invention, the various keys being shown in their initial or undepressed positions;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is an elevational view, similar to that shown in Figure 1 but illustrating the keys in the two further banks in their depressed positions; and

eliminate the disadvantage above outlined and to facilitate easy and convenient shifting of the operators fingers between the keys in the relatively close and distant banks, whereby the operating efliciency and speed in the use of the machine is materially improved and whereby the operator is enabled to work with much greater ease and convenience.

This object is attained by arranging the keys in the banks which are relatively distant from the pivot shaft so that their upper, finger-engaging surfaces are inclined in a direction away from the pivot when the keys are in their initial position, but whereby the upper surfaces of such keys are substantially horizontal when the keys are depressed. Moreover, the arrangement is such that the inclined key surfaces are disposed in a plane which merges smoothly with the horizontal plane of the undepressed keys in the relatively closer banks, so that the operator may shift his fingers from one bank of keys to the next or to an intermediate position where keys in both banks are contacted, without hindrance.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary end view of one of the keys. Referring now to the accompanying drawing in detail, the numeral 10 designates a horizontally disposed pivot shaft of a stenographic machine, having a set of key bars 11, 12, 13, 14 mounted thereon for movement in vertical arcs between initial and depressed positions. The key bars are provided at their outer ends with the actuating keys 15, 16, 17, 18, respectively, as will be readily apparent.

The various keys are arranged in banks as shown, it being understood, of course, that any number of banks may be provided with any number of keys in each bank, the particular arrangement shown in the drawing being only illustrative.

in any event, the keys in the banks 15, 16, which are relatively close to the pivot shaft 10 have horizontal upper, finger-engaging surfaces 15a, 16a, respectively, when these keys are in their initial position, as is customary in conventional practice. The respective key bars 11, '12 of these keys travel through relatively short arcs during depression of the keys, and although the upper surfaces 15a, 16a of the keys become declined or slanted in a direction away from the pivot shaft when the keys are depressed, the amount or degree of such declination does not materially affect the speed and efficiency of their operation.

However, the keys 17, 18, more distant from the pivot shaft than the keys is, 16, travel through relatively longer arcs during their depression, and if, as in conventional practice, these keys had horizontal upper surfaces in their initial position, the degree of declination of such surfaces during depression would be considerable and detrimental to efiicient operation of the machine.

Accordingly, the keys 17, 18 are constructed so that their upper surfaces 17a, 18a are inclined in a direction away from the shaft 10 when the keys are in their initial positions, the degree of this inclination being such that when the keys 17, 18 are depressed as shown in Figure 3, the upper surfaces thereof are substantially horizontal.

With reference to Figure 1 which illustrates the keys in their initial position, it will be noted that the plane of inclination of the key surfaces 17a, 18a intersects the horizontal plane of the key surfaces 15a, 16a substantially at a point 19 represented by edges of the keys 16 most distant from the pivot shaft 10. By virtue of this arrangement, the inclined and horizontal planes of the keys merge in a smooth manner, and the operator is able to shift his or her fingers from the keys 16 to the keys 17 and vice versa, without diificulty.

In actual practice, the upper surfaces of the keys are eoncaved as illustrated in Figure 4, so that they effectively receive and cradle finger tips. of the operator applied thereto. However, for illustrative purposes of the invention the finger-receiving surfaces of the keys are being referred to as being disposed in a plane rather than in a eoncavity. in. practice, the concavity of the key surfaces will extend horizontally or in an inclined direction, as the ca e y be.

It: may be noted that the teachings of the invention are applicable regardless of whether the pivot shaft 10 is locat d v rtic y en r y o he k y bars as show oreither above or below the key here, as in instances hen key bars of n angulated form re e The degree of inclination of the key surfaces 17a, 18a is governed by two factors, namely, the distance of the point 19 from the pivot shaft 10 as represented by the dimension R and the depth of travel of the keys during depression, as represented by the dimension d. Thus, the angle of inclination for a particular machine, as I61 resented by the angle x may be readily determined by the use of a simple formula where, in degrees The drawing, of course, illustrates the parts in an exaggerated form to emphasize the features of the invention. In actual practice, the angle of inclination may amount to approximately 1 degree, or a diflerence in elevation of approximately of an inch between the relatively low and the relatively high ends of the keys.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to'this disclosure and various modifications may be resorted to, such as may lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is:

In a stenographic machine, the combination of a hori- ZOntal Pi ot, a set of key s mounted on sai Pivot for movement in vertical arcs between initial and depressed positions, and a set of actuating keys provided on the respective key bars in banks arranged at diiferent distances from said pivot, the keys in a bank relatively close to the pivot having upper finger-engaging surfaces which are horizontal when the keys are in their initial position but which are declined in a direction away from the pivot when the keys are depressed, and the keys in a bank relatively further away from said pivot having upper fingereengaging surfaces which are inclined in a direction away from the pivot when the keys are in their initial position but which are substantially horizontal when the keys are. depressed, the plane of inclination of the upper surfaces of the keys in the second mentioned bank intersecting the, horizontal plane of the upper surfaees of the keys in the first mentioned bank substantially at edges of the keys in the first bank most remote from said pivot when all said key bars are. in their initial Positions...

References Cited the file of this patent UN TED S TES. PATENTS 624,929 Hanson May !16, 1899 2,369,807 Solon Feb. 20, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS.

390,635 France Aug. 4, 1908 

